1893 Lee-Metford Trials Carbine (One of Only 100 Made)
Prototype & Trials Weapons
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6m 54s
Once Lee-Metford rifle production was in place, the British began working on a carbine version of the same action for their cavalry. In 1893 a trial run of 100 carbines were made, and today we are looking at serial number 32 of that batch. These carbines differ in several ways from the ultimately adopted pattern. They had exposed muzzles like the Martini carbines, instead of the heavy snub-nose muzzle that would be adopted (similar to the muzzle of most early Mauser carbines). These trials carbines also had no safety, no sling attachments, and no barrel band. They did have the bent bolt handle of the final pattern (albeit not flattened down) and the short 6-round magazine.
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